


The Love You Left Behind

by NickedNack



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fowl Twins 1 compliant; possible not Deny All Charges compliant, Friends to Lovers, Magic, Oral Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy, hybrid pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:27:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27411955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NickedNack/pseuds/NickedNack
Summary: When Artemis left for Mars, he didn't just leave friends and family behind. He and Holly Short made choices that have changed their relationship forever; and now, months after he was gone, the consequences of those choices are starting to grow. And now things between them are going to have to change again.
Relationships: Artemis Fowl II/Holly Short
Comments: 23
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**A little look at how Artemis and Holly's relationship would have turned out, if I'd been writing is. Each chapter will show events happening before and after Artemis leaves for the moon. Smut for the first couple chapters is rather tame, but will get more descriptive later. I am going to try to update fairly frequently, and I already have much of the next couple chapters written, so hopefully I can follow through on that.**

Holly ground her teeth like a dwarf chewing clay, as she selected a helmet and a pair of wings off the wall. The cramp in her middle had persisted for almost a week; like her normal inconvenient cycle, but worse. Stress probably; her recent promotion to Commodore had only been accepted upon direct order. 

It was a new position in the LEP hierarchy, meant to get senior officers out from behind their desks and in among the grunts. But in spite of her best efforts, Holly was still finding most of her time stuck in one office or another. Her most frequent “field-work” was mentoring new recruits and specialists; who displayed widely varying degrees of promise. She was beginning to understand why the late Wing Commander Vinyaye’s hair had turned white.

“I’ve got you a shuttle,” Foaly looked up from his screens. “Used LEP priority to get you a seat on the next tourist bus to the McGraney farm, leaves in an hour.”

“Thanks,” she sighed, already imagining the light of moon and stars, and the feeling of  _ fresh  _ air blowing across her skin. “Of course we shouldn’t abuse priority privileges  _ too _ much; I’d understand if I had to spend a few extra hours flying in circles topside before I could get a ride back.” In the last couple of years she’d been spoiled for surface visits; but the good times were over, and now they came few and far between.

“I’ve got a map of the best sights near Tara,” Foaly sent the file to her helmet. With her new rank she could have had her staff make these arrangements, but she had a weakness for the friend touch. “I’d recommend Ulster #3, should have the least chance of other traffic.”

Holly noticed that a certain spot near Tara was not listed, even though it would have been one of the most convenient. “I’ll use the usual sight, it should be un-occupied.” She appreciated his discreet effort to spare her melancholy, but it wasn’t necessary. Things had turned out the way they did, there was no use moping about it; and she certainly wasn’t going to block out everything that happened to be a reminder of one of her closest friends, regardless of their current separation.

There was just the briefest pause, as Foaly gave her a sideways glance, then “alright, you have your clearance.” He glanced at her again, openly this time, his intelligent eyes analytical. “You completed the ritual a month ago, didn’t you? Before that you did it the last time you were . . . um,  _ topside. _ Are you burning through your magic faster all of a sudden?”

Holly sighed again, retracting the visor of her helmet to knead between her eyebrows. “I haven’t been using that much magic, but it does seem that way. I haven’t been feeling particularly bad though. In fact, aside from slaving at a desk, I’ve felt in top shape . . . “ She decided not to mention the cramps, probably just normal feminine problems.

“Hmmm,” Foaly stroked his shaggy beard. “You may want to go see a warlock about that; I can get you a first slot-”

“No need to push back anyone who really needs to see a warlock,” Holly insisted, adjusting the straps on her wings one more time. “In an hour I’ll be running hot again, and I probably just need to get more sleep. It’ll get back to normal when I settle more into the new job.”

“If you say so,” Foaly continued to study her critically. “Be sure and give me a heads up if you decide to make any other . . . pit stops, while you’re on the surface.”

“Don’t think I’ll be in the mood for that tonight,” Holly replied as she strode out of the ops booth. Part of her was tempted, to touch down at “Fowl Island,'' and suggest for the thousandth time that a certain mudboy (mud _ man _ ) keep his feet on solid ground. But that wound was healing, she didn’t want to open it again. “Strictly business tonight!”

* * *

_ It would be difficult to say exactly how it had happened _

_ About a month beforehand there had been a change, starting when Holly had kissed him, again. They had been working to break up a dwarven arms dealing ring operating out of Glasgow. A relatively tame adventure, by their past standards; but when Mulch made a rare misjudgment in reckoning his tunneling, things had turned quite exciting. Blood was still running hot when Holly departed Fowl Manor. Activating her wings and hovering off the ground with eyes level with his, she had made one last wisecracking goodbye, and reached out and kissed him. _

_ Their immediate reaction to this momentous event, was to essentially laugh it off. In their frequent calls they pretended nothing was different, and they were nothing more or less than good friends. Holly’s next visit to Fowl Manor had been their chance to prove it to themselves; an opportunity they’d lost when Artemis had finally given into the temptation to kiss her back.  _

_ And so now things had changed; perhaps irreversibly so. _

_ The two friends were now tiptoeing around each other, aware that their relationship was teetering on a drastic edge. Though they couldn’t name precisely what it was the edge of. It might have been wiser to put some distance between them for a time; but they still kept finding reasons to be together. _

_ “That Night” began like so many other of Holly’s visits to Fowl Manor. The elder Fowls and the twins were gone, and the elf literally dropped in for a nice evening with her close mudfriends. She, Butler, and Artemis had stayed up around one of the manor's large fireplaces, trading stories and memories as the irish night settled outside. _

_ In the months that followed Artermis would mentally pour over the events of That Night, trying to identify the logical chain of events that lead to the escalation of their relationship. But logic had played no part in it. _

_ Butler had gone to bed early, and Artemis and Holly had been left entirely to their own hormonally unbalanced devices. Holly had decided to stay the night, and Artemis escorted her to a prepared guest room. _

_ Neither was quite ready to say goodnight, and they sat on the bed as they treasured this rare moment of actual privacy. Though both their lives were surrounded by friends and family, the two had a growing sense of loneliness; a hole that was only closed when the other was around.  _

_ When their lips met again, it was as if all the remaining emptiness was filled by an electric energy. Like magic. _

_ This wasn’t like the other kisses they’d shared before; quick and clandestine, with barely a moment to react. Now they had all the time in the world, and no one to hide their feelings from. _

_ They kissed slowly, gentle and savoring. Artemis leaned back on the mattress, lowering closer to her height. He really had shot up in recent years; only middling height for a mudman, but he loomed over his fairy friends. In the past, in guilty moments, Holly used to fantasize about grabbing him by the lapels and trapping his smirking mouth with hers. Now, she imagined having to climb him to do it. _

_ They silently revelled in this long, intimate moment, until they finally had to part for breath. The great Artemis Fowl was grinning like a loon, tripping over himself for something to say. The banter that passed between them was fluffy and meaningless, but it was the most enjoyable exchange he'd ever had; until their lips met again. _

_ She was straddling him now, arms and legs wrapped around him as their lips fought for dominance. They were so very close, but still wanted to get closer. Artemis raised himself up to embrace her, so that when they again parted for air, she slid down into his lap, settling on his hardness. _

_ There was a shocked silence, as they both panted for breath. Artemis’ face was overcome by a burning redness, as he mentally cursed his traitorous anatomy with a vocabulary that would have made Mulch Diggums blush. Holly was momentarily overwhelmed by a collision of many emotions. Shock, fear, lust, pity, and affection. She almost laughed outright, at the surrealness of the whole situation; she only managed to control herself because of the look of pure humiliation on Artemis’ face. The poor mudboy, who had been so lonely for so long, but had come so far in spite of it all. And he had the same desires she did. _

_ Slowly, knowingly, Captain Holly Short pressed her hips down onto his erection, lighting them both up with glorious friction. Artemis bit his lip savagely to stifle his reaction, and she deliberately ground into him harder until his facade broke. He let out a moan of pure longing, until Holly climbed up to silence him with a kiss. _

_ It was an awkward, rushed affair. Holly had the benefit of some experience, though with a considerable drought in the last decade. Well studied though he was, Artemis was very nearly tripped up by his purely theoretical understanding of the technique, practised only in fantasy. _

_ Much to his own shame, Artemis’ pure intellectual and mental discipline did not make him entirely invulnerable to the same biological impulses that plagued young men his age. Occasionally he would be forced to take that issue in hand; and if he engaged in mental exercises conceptualizing assistance of the female persuasion, it was only to end the inconvenience as quickly as possible. _

_ It wasn’t something he had done very much recently, however. He had tried to force such things from his mind, after the imagined partners began turning distinctly elven. _

_ But both friends were now throwing their mental inhibitions out the window. The young do tend to think they’re invincible; and all the near disasters the two had survived might have done more to feed that delusion, than defeat it. _

_ The practical logistics inherent in a copulation between a human and an elf were another issue, but one that was surprisingly easy to overcome. Holly didn’t know how Artemis compared to other humans, but he was certainly bigger than anyone she had ever taken before. The fullness of him inside her was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She was still a young elf though, in peak physical condition; and after her recent completion of the ritual, running hot with more than enough magic to overcome the discomfort. _

_ That fact that Artemis came at her from behind, “centaur style” as fairies called it, seemed to help. _

_ Their first time was very quick, almost panicked as they desperately vented their long repressed urges. It seemed to last forever as it was happening, but was over in a few minutes. Those few minutes would still change everything.  _

_ The aftermath found them both collapsing onto the bed, his arms wrapped around her as they panted with exhaustion. The fatigue was more mental, emotional, than it was physical. There was so much they were feeling, so much that should be said, that they couldn’t choose any path forward but to lie there and enjoy the moment. They fell asleep lying beside each other, in blissful peace. _

_ That harmony ended as soon as they woke up. _

**Please review, and tell me how you think I did. Even when I'm writing smut, I always try to get the character's right, and make the dialogue seem real. Your thoughts would be very appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**More of the angst, but with a double helping of fluff to balance it.**

Holly’s alarm blared in the quiet morning, dragging her into groggy wakefulness. It had a musical tone, it’s synthetic chimes usually pleasant as they woke her. This time they seemed to have gotten on a higher volume setting, because they were loud enough to suddenly give her a headache.

“Alarm off!” she shouted groggily as she covered the top of her head with a pillow to try and protect her sensitive ears. “Off!”

The torturous sound ceased, and Holly was left to drag herself out of bed. Still a spring chicken at ninety seven, she normally had no problem rising early after a good night’s sleep, and the night before she’d slept like a rock. But her arms and legs felt leadened today. 

Sleep very nearly overtook her again, but she managed to force herself to her feet with the knowledge that if she was even two minutes late for work, she could expect a direct call from a nosey centaur. She stumbled groggily to the counter, punched in a command on her sim-caf machine, and stumbled over to her closet. flicking quickly through a rack that was three-quarters uniforms and one quarter civilian clothes, she picked out her least rumpled commodore fatigues.

The uniform resisted coming on far more than it should have. It took Holly more than a minute to shimmy the pant legs up her thighs, and another to fasten the seals tight across her chest. LEP suits were meant to be form fitting, but this was worse. 

_ You’ve put on weight Short _ , she nagged herself. _ You’re losing your edge piloting desks! _

As she combed down the hair she’d been letting grow out of it’s normal crew cut, she took a moment to study her reflection in the mirror. There was definitely some more padding there, most noticeably across the chest. She was probably lucky that officer’s acorns tended to dissuade people from making a move on you.

She nearly spit out the sim-caf when she tasted it, she’d punched in the wrong instructions and it was far too weak. Grumbling at the newest irritation, she nonetheless drank it all down, as she heated up an insta-omlete to wolf down before leaving. There was no time for anything else, since she'd slept in so late.

_ I need a day off,  _ Holly could count on one hand the number of times she'd thought that.  _ At least some real sunlight.  _ Maybe a trip up to Fowl Island, feel the sand between her toes, wade into th-

Holly put her cup down hard, rattling the table. Artemis was gone; he’d lifted off almost a month ago. Holly and Foaly had been there, in a shielded shuttle with a response crew, just in case. They’d watched him and butler take off, in a ship that seemed improbably too small and fragile to survive the journey. They shadowed them through the upper atmosphere, until they reached their elevation limit. Holly had almost wanted to keep following.

_ That’s over now,  _ she told herself.  _ It was over before he lifted off. Stand up straight officer Short, the LEP has no room for layabouts. _

She left the omelette half eaten. There was a sour feeling in her stomach.

* * *

  
  


_ Artemis took a long sip from his teacup, then placed it gently on it’s saucer. Sitting across from him, in an identical wicker chair, Holly did the same. A warm breeze ruffled their hair, and the last rays of sunset made a beautiful summer night. The two of them were too mortified to enjoy it! _

_ Their cherished friendship had been turned on its head by That Night. When they had awoken in the early hours of the morning, Holly had all but bolted back below ground, and a dazed Artemis made no effort to stop her. Neither would look the other in the eye, and nothing was said other than an automatic promise to “call you soon!” _

_ There had followed an unprecedented week in which there was no contact between the two; with the event they couldn’t discuss but also couldn’t ignore hanging between them like a gulf. Then it had been suggested in the LEP offices for Holly to call her human friend for insight into an art heist, and she had forced down her mortification to call up Artemis for a “strictly business talk!” That had been the mental cheat that allowed them to hold down a conversation without blushing, “strictly business.” Their polite small talk was perfectly comfortable, if not as warm or open as it had been before. It was as if That Night had never happened,except that Holly did not come to visit, and they were never in the same room together anymore. _

_ There is no telling how long this could have gone on, had Juliette’s birthday not occurred a month later. Angeline made plans for a small party of friends and family at the manor, with an after party for those “in-the-know” if Holly would like to stop by. Artemis immediately said yes. He said yes because it might look suspicious for Holly not to come without a good reason, he couldn’t for the life of him think of one (infuriatingly, he thought of several perfectly believable excuses shortly afterward), and he had almost entirely lost the ability to lie convincingly to his mother. _

_ So the human and elf had come face to face for the first time since That Night, and both managed to maintain the appearance of old friends flawlessly. So natural was their act, as Angeline told stories of practically raising Juliet, and Butler displayed the teppanyaki show skills he’d been developing, the two caught themselves forgetting their mortification and genuinely enjoying it! _

_ Then the others all departed, Butler chauffeuring the two ladies to a spa in Dublin where they were going to have a late “girls night,” and the two of them were left alone. Alone together for the first time since That Night, not one hundred yards from where events had transpired.  _

_ Artemis was not sure what compelled him to ask Holly if she would like one last cup of tea before leaving, though he assumed it to be a subconscious part of his brain that realized the only way to move on with their friendship was to address what happened. That part was in no hurry to supply him with an idea for how to start. _

_ As usual, Holly worked up her courage first. “Artemis,” she put her teacup down on the chair’s arm. “We need to talk about . . . us.” _

_ The genius sighed. “Even I can’t argue with that,” he stared at his tea, idly swishing it in his cup. “It is a question of how to move forward!” _

_ “We need to . . .” Holly struggled for the words. “We can’t pretend it  _ didn’t  _ happen, but it doesn’t have to affect our friendship.” _

_ “We could pretend,” Artemis observed dryly. “Have you ever experienced a mindwipe before?” _

_ “Artemis,” Holly replied firmly. “We’re both adults here, and I like to think we’re both smarter than the average young single. And we’ve gone through too much to give up like this!” _

_ With a sigh, Artemis met her eyes. “You are right, as usual. But it is hard to see the way forward. With so much standing between us, between our worlds; the last months have had me thinking that our friendship may have been more fragile than we ever realized!” _

_ “Don’t say that,” Holly insisted. “You have put me through far too much to give up now mudboy! Don’t tell me I mean so little to you.” _

_ Reluctantly, he looked her dead in the eye, and spoke a truth with several meanings. “You might mean more to me than anyone else I know!” _

_ Her smile was more beautiful to him than the sunset. _

_ “And you do to me,” Holly said. “You’re not even my species, but you’re my closest friend,no matter what. _

_ A good deal of the malaise lifted of the mudboy’s shoulders _

_ “And I’m not going to give that up simply because we made a very, very stupid mistake.” _

_ “Yes,” Artemis commented with more conviction than he actually felt. “It was a definite mistake.” Which he could not stop thinking about. _

_ The young mudman took another sip of tea, and guiltily indulged for a moment in a long glance at his friend. His eyes traveled over every inch of her; taking in that tight, elven figure he hadn’t truly appreciated when he was younger. A familiar heat settled in his middle, at the way her comfortably loose civilian clothes accentuated her curves. Since That Night he had reversed his policy on how it was appropriate to think of a friend in private, and freely relieved himself to thoughts of his elven companion in diverse erotic setting. His previous abstinence had obviously weakened his self control, and there wouldn’t be further indiscretions if he kept his urges satisfied. That was what he told himself, as he “jerked” late into the night, with Holly's name on his lips. _

_ Memories came back to him. Ones he couldn’t banish, of her beneath him. Ideas as well, a hundred scenarios where that act could be repeated, just here in the manor. _

_ ‘You’re fooling yourself,’ he thought sourly. ‘If you can’t even sit across from Holly without wanting to pull her onto your lap, how are you ever going to keep this friendship going? You can never go back to what you were!’ _

_ “And we’re both very sorry it happened,” Holly looked to the side as she spoke. Her right ear twitched. “But our friendship is stronger than an accident.” _

_ Artemis sat still, as his mind was suddenly derailed by an observation. Holly had looked down, her right ear twitching. That was her tell, one he’d finally identified during a friendly game of Swear Toads and ToyTrolls at the Foaly residence. “We’re both very sorry,” Artemis parroted her, studying her body language intently. _

_ Again, the elf looked down, right ear twitching. “No need to hammer it in!” _

_ She’s lying! _

_ The young man was floored completely by the realization that his best friend, the non-human female he considered his other half in this life, did not truly regret having committed sexual intercouse with him. And that realization took over the driver's seat in his mind. _

_ “Holly,” Artemis placed his cup down. “There is something I feel I should admit to you?” _

_ The elf half-expected her ears to twitch at that, but those good old elfin senses detected no danger. She nodded for him to continue. _

_ “I am truly sorry for how our, um, moment of passion, if you can forgive me for calling it that, played out,” there might be no going back from this. The risk made it rather thrilling. “But I cannot honestly say that I regret the fact that it happened.” _

_ The elf was rigidly still for a moment, staring at him in disbelief. And then, “You don’t regret that we shagged up in a one night stand?!” _

_ “It . . it was unfortunate that we acted so suddenly and rashly, then let our insecurities keep us apart for weeks afterward. But . . . I’ve never felt for another person as I feel for you Holly.” Artemis met her gaze head on. “And part of me is glad that I finally acted on it.” _

_ “I . . .” Holly struggled to respond to that. “I suppose that’s . . . normal, for a man your age.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Since I’m the only person you . . . a little lingering infatuation shouldn’t be too hard to control.” _

_ “But that’s the last thing I want to do,” Artemis replied bluntly. _

_ Holly nearly dropped her tea cup. “WHAT!?” _

_ “Holly,” Artemis looked her in the eye. “I think I am in love with you.” _

_ “Artemi-” _

_ And I think this relationship . . . it might be worth exploring.” _

_ The elf’s mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to think of what to say. “Artemis, you’re smart enough to predict every objection I’m about to make, aren’t you?” _

_ “I’m quite certain I could not only point out your objections, but list some you’d never think of,” the mudman responded with his usual modesty. _

_ “So why are you telling me this, and making us have this conversation?” _

_ “Because I think you want to explore this too,” he insisted. “And I think in the end, all those problems and obstacles aren’t going to matter.” _

_ Holly groaned, massaging her temples. “You’ve turned into such a sap Artemis!” _

_ “Largely from your own influence, I assure you.” _

_ “Hmmmr,” Holly growled in frustration. “Dar’vit You, you irritating mudwhelp!” _

_ “That’s how we got here!” The young man earned himself a light punch to the shoulder. _

_ “Relentless, greedy human,” Holly glared at him. “Fine; you want to jump down this trollhole?” She sighed, one final time. “I . . . I’m willing to try it.” There was fear in her tone, but a smile was creeping up her red cheeks. “We’ll take our more-than-friendship in another direction. Are you happy?” _

_ Artemis answered by leaning forward, and pressing his lips into hers. _

_ The wind rustled through Holly’s hair, cool breaze blanketing her now hot face. The smell of fresh and clean air mixed perfectly with the scent of him, and she leaned fully into his kiss. _

_ They broke apart; and the ex-criminal had the most absurdly genuine, beaming smile on his face. “Well, that settles it then,” he laughed. “Sealed with a kiss, just like the fairytales!” _

_ “Yes,” she was smiling too, giddiness dissolving her trepidation. “No better way!” _

_ Artemis was silent for a moment, as he thought of one way that would most definitely be better. But no, it was far too soon. Too risky. _

_ “Artemis,” Holly cocked her head at him. “What are you thinking?” _

_ “Butler will not be back for at least an hour,” the young man couldn’t believe what he was saying. “Quite possible more,” he’d laid it out now; the only way forward without total humiliation, would be success. “Would you like to stay here . . with me, for a little bit longer?” _

_ Holly’s mouth was a little slack; she knew immediately what he was _ really  _ saying, but was almost unable to comprehend that he had. Artemis! Genius, calculating, pragmatic Artemis was trying to  _ score _ with her! All the obvious reasons why they shouldn’t, and the risk that they could upend their new relationship before it began, which he knew perfectly well, and he still . . . _

_ “I’m expected back in Haven soon,” she answered. “I told Foaly to keep a pod on standby.” _

_ “You have extended your visits often enough that it will not arouse one bit of suspicion now!” Artemis retorted. “And Foaly has enough connections to have a shuttle to the moon on standby if you really needed it.” The mudman was determined to prove his point; he acted to feel up and down her bare skin, and to hear her call his name like she had the last time. _

_ “Butler could get back sooner than you expect,” she tried again. “Something could happen in Tara, and they all might have to come back.” _

_ “I have my phone hooked up to every surveillance camera and proximity alarm on the estate,” he countered flippantly. “I can know the second they get through the gate; and then we will have several minutes before they reach the end of the drive, get out and in the house, then anywhere near my room. We will have more than enough time to make yourself presentable, and turn our attention to any number of excuses for how we passed the time.” _

_ The young prodigy’s brain was finally working for him again, fired by the same burning determination that was now burning in his blood. Holly hadn’t said no, hadn’t said she didn’t  _ want _ to, and all her objections were so transparently immaterial she was obviously trying to convince herself. _

_ “Don’t look at me like that!” Holly insisted.  _

_ Artemis cocked an eyebrow, a smirk tugging the edge of his lips. “Like what?” _

_ “Like you just won something,” Holly crossed her arms. “And this is hardly an ideal way to start off, if we’re serious about a relationship.” _

_ “Perhaps not, but it will be the most enjoyable,” Artemis deadpanned. “And we are at our best when presented with difficulties.” _

_ “You really have grown into a man,” Holly rolled her eyes. “Letting all those hormones do the thinking for you.” _

_ “Again, your own influence is largely to blame,” he countered with a grin. “Insisting I make room in my life for affection and, eh,  _ closeness. _ ” _

_ Holly shifted in her seat, surreptitiously rubbing her thighs together. A warmth had been blossoming in her middle, starting when Artemis admitted to loving her. Now it was beating hotter, and spreading up and down. Stupid smug mudboy and his stupid perfect face! _

_ “If we do, um, pick up where we left off, we’re going to need to establish some ground rules.” _

_ “Yes,” Artemis agreed. “Let's do that first thing in the morning.” He was leaning toward her again and, against her better judgment, her head tilted to meet his. Their mouths connected in a harder, hungrier kiss than they’d shared a moment ago. _

**_Still pretty tame, in the chapter's to come the smut will get more graphic, but not in any extreme way. Except for the whole different species thing. Honestly, the first part of this story was the hardest to figure out; to get Artemis and Holly in bed together in a way that feels like it could actually happen. Please review, and tell me if I succeeded!!!_ **


	3. Chapter 3

Specialist Heitz eased the throttle forward, gently edging the pod farther into the chute. “The flare will hit us in two minutes,” She glanced sideways at her instructor. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather take control?”

“I’d rather you did it,” Holly replied. That was a lie; she itched to get her hands around the controls of a craft, no matter how the routine the flight. But Lazuli and all the other tenderfoots needed to log flight hours and get some real world experience. It didn’t matter what she wanted, an officer was responsible for her troops. “Flare readings look pretty standard, you should ride it easily.”

“Yes ma’am,” Lazuli was a competent pilot, but never had the natural passion for it like Holly had. She gripped and regripped the controls nervously. “Launching in one minute, and forty-two seconds.”

Holly trusted Specialist Heitz; she’d followed her progress through the Academy, and knew her quality and level headedness. She was more than capable of piloting this pod. But for some reason, Holly felt her insides quiver (and not in a pleasant way) as the countdown continued.

At the thirty second mark, the quiver had become a far more powerful shaking. The professional thing to do would be to speak up and delay the launch, perhaps switch out with another instructor. But the Commodore’s pride smarted at that idea; she was too good of a pilot to admit a couple of months riding desks had dulled her edge.

“Ten seconds,” Lazuli called out. The reply sounded much louder than it should have, and it had Holly grip her arm rests until her knuckles were white. She refused to openly acknowledge it, but she was losing the battle to keep her rebellious insides calm.  _ This isn’t simple nerves,  _ she realized.  _ But I’ve never had problems chute jumping! I can’t be _ that _ out of practice. _

“Lifting off,” Lazuli said, catching Holly off guard. The magma blast hit them then, in the same pattern it always did. The sound struck them like an almost physical blow, and just two seconds later the flare itself arrived, lifting their tiny pod and launching it upward like an arrow from a bow. G-force rattled the polarized windows and dug at their skin like a hundred strong hands; the odd sensation of being pulled down even as you were rising up. 

They flew one of the newer pods, state-of-the-art, with the best safety features and momentum buffers on the market. But this was the worst flight Holly had suffered in years. The flames didn’t seem to lick the windows so much as strike them like waves, trying to force their way through. The blood in her ears thundered nearly as loud as the deafening noise, and her insides turned to jelly, then to liquid, then to lead.

“Beginning docking” she barely heard Specialist Heitz’s voice as the flames melted away, and her guts were roiled by the sudden decceleration that was almost as painful as the flight. All at once the docking bay was in front of them, and the Pixel pilot executed a perfectly adequate landing as they rose past the port and then sank down onto it. Holly’s hands, gripping the seat like a lifeline, flew to her mouth as they touched down.

“And we’re down,” Lazuli let go of the controls and sagged back in her seat as the docking clamps gripped the pod. “I hope that was satisfactory commod-”

She was interrupted when Holly slapped the release on her seat harness, and leaned forward with a painful, wet heaving to empty the contents of her stomach across the control console. The young pixel frantically pawed at her own harness, filled with alarm but unsure what to do as the commodore retched again and doubled the spreading pool of phlegm.

Surely killing a superior officer did not reflect well on your performance review!

* * *

_ “And the number two cellophane beakers, on the shelf there,” Artemis gestured without looking up from the manila folders he was sorting through. “I’ll transfer most of the spore samples to them.” _

_ Holly glanced at an entire shelf of research beakers with a rueful eye, trying to spot something that would make it clear to the average fairy. “Those wouldn’t be the ones with the green stickers, would they?” _

_ “The blue ones.” _

_ Holly stacked up a dozen of the beakers in her arms and carefully brought them to the Irishman's side. She boosted herself up to sit on the work table next to him, absently swinging her legs above the floor as she took a long glance around Artemis’s familiar lab; it’s customary order and cleanliness violated by the barely managed chaos of the moving process.  _

_ “I still almost can’t believe it,” Holly commented. “This manor is like a member of the Fowl family, and this time next month it’ll be a thing of the past.” _

_ “Yes,” Artemis mused fondly. “Sometimes I feel that the family has changed utterly. Ten years ago no one would have believed it if you told them that Artemis Fowl I was going to reshape his entire life for the goal of saving the world.” _

_ “Also that the Artemis Fowl II was going to degrade himself to live in a ‘hideous modern architecture monstrosity,” Holly lowered her voice in an eerily good imitation of her mudman. _

_ “The new manor does certainly sacrifice aesthetics for function,” Artemis had had some much more choice words about the design at it’s first conception. “But there is a certain beauty in how it’s features will uniquely compliment the landscape.” _

_ “That giant _ F _ will blend  _ right _ into the Irish coastline,” Holly agreed sarcastically. _

_ Artemis couldn’t think of a good comeback for that, and so focused instead on taping shut a box of beakers _

_ “So many memories here,” Holly continued her musings. “Some good,” she gave him a pointed look. “Some bad.” _

_ After all these years Artemis still looked a little sheepish. “Hopefully far more good than bad.” _

_ “Oh many more,” the elf sidled a little closer to him, resting her hand on his as her smile turned a little crooked. “Particularly recently.” _

_ Artemis gave her hand a squeeze, suddenly a little hot under the lab coat. “Quite a few nights I’ll never forget.” _

_ “And so many  _ rooms _ in this old house I’ll never forget!” Holly retorted. “And some of the oddest places.” _

_ Artemis set down a stack of notes he’d been trying futilely to sort, his organized mind suddenly very distracted. “Perhaps some, eh,  _ impulsivities _ would be best forgotten.” _

_ They were hip to hip now, and Holly reached up to palm his cheek, turning his gaze toward hers. “It just occurs to me Artemis,” she almost purred at him. “I have quite a few memories of  _ this _ room, but it’s one of the few that we haven’t actually made _ ‘memorable’!”

_ The carefully programmed temperature of the lab must have gone haywire, as the mudman started to sweat. “You mean . . . we couldn’t possibly . .  _ here? _ ” _

_ Holly had to break her gaze as a chuckle overtook her, Artemis’s scandalized expression being equally humorous and adorable. She knew as well as anyone the hygiene standards he had always strictly maintained in his personal lab; and just the thought of sullying it like this was between pervers and unholy. _

_ “Very funny captain,” Artemis tried to preserve his dignity. _

_ “Oh, but I wasn’t joking,” Holly caught his cheek again. She had sidled up till they were front to front, her legs parted enough to be nearly straddling him. She was wearing civilian clothes, something he had come to be inherently sensual in his mind.  _

_ She raised one long (proportionately) leg, rubbing it along his thigh, until it crooked around the base of his buttocks to pull him closer. All of the rigid self discipline with which Artemis had been raised opposed something so libidinous and unsanitary as this; so he hesitated for just a second as he removed the lab coat. _

_ She did the same, the casual floral top flung without a care onto the neatly organized stack of lab tools. Their lips found each other, the human crouching just slightly to make it. A long oral competition commenced, ending when Artemis had to reclaim some of his mental focus to expedite the bra Holly seemed to be in no hurry to deal with; her energy being focused on generating friction between his middle and hers. He was quite hard by this point, mudmanhood straining against the fabric of his now tight trousers, and decided to get to work without further preamble. With a last deep kiss, he hooked his thumbs into the elastic of her pants, and pulled them down in one smooth motion; leaving the shapely elf entirely bare before him. _

_ Leaving her lips, Artemis began trailing his way down her nut-brown skin, savoring the soft heat of it. Past her collarbone he stopped to indulge himself sinfully at her breasts, eagerly kneading their flesh until the elf was almost crying at the sensation of it. He sank to his knees as he descended farther, leaving kisses down the length of her stomach. After much enthusiastic practice they had grown used to accommodating each other, but good preparation was still the best way. His tongue wetted her already moistening womanhood, doing everything he’d learned to make her ready for him. _

_ “Aaarty,” Holly was almost biting into one hand, and her thighs pressed onto either side of his head. “Please mudboy!” _

_ On other occasions he might have taken the time to tease her some more, but she was truly impatient today and he was happy to oblige. _

_ Gingerly rising back to his feet, the mudman reached down to finally relieve his erection from it’s uncomfortable confines. It sprang forward eagerly, pale length resting against her middle as a few more kisses were exchanged. Holly spread her legs further, mentally bracing as the human positioned his large hardness at her entrance. With a slow, steady motion, he pushed into her. _

_ Any discomfort she felt was fleeting, as he stretched her gloriously. Holly’s cries fired the mudman up almost as much as her wet heat did, and he carefully pushed deeper. There was still the resistance of the vice-like grip she had him in; but the real challenge was having the self control to not simply plunge in without mercy. _

_ As he began pulling out of her again her arms wrapped around his middle, keeping them as close as possible. She buried her face into his shirt to moan as he thrust into her again, and again, and again. His hands cupped the cheeks of her captivating backside, keeping her in place as he went to work with a will. _

_ The feeling was indescribable, passion driving heat through every pore in their bodies. By this point his hands were holding her up as much as in place, and he had practically lifted her off the counter too; an action he probably wouldn’t have had the muscle to achieve with a human partner. Her legs had made it around his slim waist, keeping herself steady as she practically rode him like a unicorn. _

_ Artemis had done his initial work well, and within moments Holly was teetering at the end. Sensing her increased tightness the mudboy gave a few more hard thrusts, and pushed her over the edge. He did himself in a few breaths later, nearly dropping her on the table as his legs threatened to buckle. The elf lay back heavily against the clutter; panting with exhaustion but still gamely riding him through the afterglow. He spent himself inside her, sagging against the counter as his thrusts gradually ended. _

_ As he pulled out of her and she composed herself, Holly realized a variety of items were annoyingly digging into her back. Lifting herself back up, she eyed the beakers and petri dishes she knocked over guiltily. “Doesn’t look like anything spilled.” _

_ It took Artemis a moment to respond; the rise and fall of her bare breasts as she panted being a considerable distraction. “What?” She gestured again. “Oh, eh, yes they appear to still be sound.” He reached over her to push the plastic beacors around, quickly inspecting them for damage. “None of these were compromised, so you weren’t exposed to anything.” _

_ “I take it that would have been bad?” _

_ “It would have required you to give yourself a thorough anti-bacterial scrubdown,” The mudman nodded sheepishly. _

_ Holly was still too giddy for her own good. “Would you have  _ helped? _ ” _

_ Lost for a reply Artemis stepped back to let her off the counter; only to realize his trousers were still undone and his placated manhood still exposed. Blushing deeply, he clumsily collected himself. “I’ll-I’ll take care of the counter,” he nodded towards the stains they’d left stumbled toward a roll of paper towels. _

_ Holly, still sitting naked on the counter, legs swinging playfully, couldn’t help herself. “Are you sure you don’t want to collect some samples?” _

**Based on the description of Fowl Manor 2, and Artemis' established contempt for cheesy modern architecture, I bet he went to Mars just so he'd have an excuse not to live there!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry to be gone for so long. I got a lot of chances to get overtime at work in the last couple months, and the holiday season was pretty busy; but with the New Year I'm going to try to get more writing done, and update more often. Wish me luck!**

**Happy New Year!**

Holly stalked down the halls of Police Plaza, her elven face graced by an even larger scowl than her habitual one. She'd been holding a cup of organic coffee in her hand, without drinking it, for an hour now. She hadn't even wanted it, but years of habit had compelled her to get it without thinking. It had gone cold.

She turned a corner, and nearly ran right into a pair of familiar faces. "Good morning commodore," Commander Kelp nodded to her. "Holly," Foaly greeted by his side. "You're looking well."

That was a lie. Holly had been getting even less sleep than usual, and had been eating irregularly. Dark bags hung under her eyes, her hair was a tangled mess, and her nut brown skin was just pale enough for a friend or coworker to have been able to tell the difference. Her pointed ears drooped when she didn't make an effort to stop them, and flakes of dry skin indicated she'd abandoned her normally religious moisturizer routine.

"Good morning you two," a smile brought just a little brightness back to her face. "Any world ending crisis or interspecies wars threatening today?"

Her two friends exchanged the briefest glance. "Actually," Foaly began carefully. "There was something more minor we wanted to talk to you about."

Holly's elven intuition sensed the trap, and she tried to steer to avoid it. "Well, I am rather busy this morning," she made a move to squeeze by them. "If you could leave it with the one of my Lieutenants than-"

Trouble shuffled to the side, cutting her off, and Foaly moved to effectively block the rest of the hallway with his equine hindquarters. "Holly," the commander proceeded with his usual bluntness. "You look terrible."

"Half dead," the centaur agreed. "I've seen you get beaten down by trolls and come out looking better."

Holly tried to brush them off, her smile becoming stiff and forced. "I guess I have been having a bad week." She blatantly ignored the fact that this had been going on for more than a month. "I might take a sick day and have a long weekend, but I'm sure it's nothing serious-"

"And I'm very sure it _is_ ," Foaly countered. "You need to go see a warlock, and you need to do it now!"

That cramp in her middle started up again; purely from stress, of course. "I'm not going to waste police time over a little cave bug," Holly had raised her voice now, pointing in a way so very much like a certain former commander. "And my flying is as good as it's ever been," even though no one had mentioned flying, this time. "Now if you'll get your horse's ass out of my way-"

"Holly!" Trouble addressed her by her first name like the old friend he was, but with that unmistakable "tone of command" he'd perfected over the years. "It's not customary in the LEP for professional officers to resort to name calling in the halls; not to mention for ranking brass to set such a poor example as to push themselves till they drop on shift! Now will you go see a doctor on the advice of good friends, or do I have to make it a direct order?"

Holly was quiet for a moment, a little taken aback at him and herself, and closed her eyes to gather herself with a breath. "I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to help, and that _was_ uncalled for. But I really don't feel half as bad as I lo-"

"How many cups of caf have you had today," Foaly asked suddenly?

She sensed the trap, but their questioning eyes held her in place. "Ow, the usual one or two a morning." she held up her cold cup for emphasis.

"I suppose you must not be too bad," Foaly said smoothly. "If you can still keep some strong caf down.

"Naturally, best pick-me-up next to moonlight," the commodore kept a little smile on her face.

"It's just that Caballine mentioned you had asked her about Hoofcaf the other day," Foaly raised an eyebrow at the mention of the unique coffee brand; brewed almost exclusively for centaurs, it's mixes included a number of grass-based grounds that most other fairies turned up their noses at. Holly certainly had before now. "Of course your tastes might change if your stomach gets unsettled."

"Nope," Holly stole a nervous glance at the cold cup in her hand, then shot her eyes back up to meet the gaze of both friends in turn. "Couldn't get through a day without a good old cup of caf." Stealing herself, she raised the cup to her lips and took a long sip.

The cup hit the floor with a splash, it's contents spilling across the tiles. Holly staggered on her feet, nearly knocking into the wall as both friends belatedly reached out to help her. She managed to make it to a plant in the corner, before heaving her guts into the ceramic acorn-shaped pot!

* * *

_Holly stepped lightly over the lichen covered rocks, managing to keep her footing in spite of the buffeting winds. It was actually a very bright and warm Irish day, especially for early spring, but the Island of Dalkey came with all the same annoyances as any other place bordering the North or Gaelic seas._

" _We've been considering putting in a few grown trees," Artemis said as he gave his more-than-friend a tour of the new Fowl burrow. "Create a natural windbreak. But even with modern methods, the soil just might not be rich enough."_

" _It's rather nice the way it is now," Holly spread her arms out, almost dancing in place as she let all the sights and sounds of the surface wash over her. "It's almost wild!" She took another deep breath, savoring the sweet air. This close to Dublin, there would normally have been a fair amount of pollutants to spoil it all, but Dalkey was now a center of cleanliness. Without his family knowing, Artemis had installed fairy technology capable of scrubbing the air and water around the island, and Holly breathed in all the enticing sweetness of the surface!_

" _Yes, quite, um, natural," Artemis sidestepped a pile of excrement, left by the island's feral goat population, which was continuing as it always had in spite of the new management._

_Holly's only response was to spin around once in place, and fall unceremoniously backwards, into the boggy ground. She landed with a soft_ squelch.

Artemis winced in sympathy for the cardigan-like shirt she wore. "Really Holly, are you ninety-seven or _nineteen?"_

" _Try living with only artificial weather parks, then you might understand," the elf countered. "And if we're acting our age, that's hardly the sort of thing a young lad says to his 'mot' is it?" She did a fair impression of a dubliner's accent. "You might end this evening without a ride!"_

_The human scoffed at her teasing. "I think you're trying to bait me."_

" _I think you still don't know how to act like a casual human," she tapped her foot playfully against his shin._

_Artemis looked mildly hurt. "I think I've put quite a bit of effort into this casual business," he said sincerely, tugging at his jumper, and indicating to the short, black and brown Wellington boots on his feet, a ubiquitous sight with the British Isles. "I acquired "wellies" and everything!"_

" _Yes, the wardrobe change was a big improvement," Holly deadpanned. "But can you take a moment to lie back and smell the sea salt?"_

_The human surveyed the ground with trepidation. "I'm certain I could if I wanted to."_

" _I'm just feeling rather lonely here on the ground," Holly mock-pouted, and pretended to rub her arms. "If only some gentlemudman would come join me!"_

_With much grumbling, and an ineffectual dirty look, Artemis crouched down next to her. With stiff limbs, he slowly leaned back and lay himself spread eagled on the marshy ground._

" _There," he declared, staring straight up at the blue sky as he tried to ignore the wetness spreading across his back. "Perfectly lackadaisical."_

" _Impressive," Holly propped herself up on one elbow as she smirked at him. "Perhaps for our next get together, we can go camping?"_

_Artemis had not willingly slept in a tent since the weeks of stakeout leading up to Holly's abduction; but in the name of self betterment he didn't immediately shoot the idea down. "Perhaps we could build a fire tonight," he offered. "I think we have some marshmallows . . . somewhere."_

" _Have you ever foraged for food," Holly suggested. "I can teach you the LEP training for how to live off the land; bound to be some nice grubs around here we can fry up._

" _I think that would be a little excessive," Artemis insisted. "We can be casual without being animals, after all."_

_Holly beamed down at him, smiling sweetly, before bringing an arm around from behind her back, and gently slapping several kilograms of the finest irish peat onto his impeccably clean face._

_She had no time to savor the sight, because after the briefest bemused pause Artemis wrapped his arms around her, and the cop made a noise almost like a squeak as he rolled over and pinned her into the mud. There followed an energetic struggle between the two increasingly disheveled friends, ending with Holly effectively mounting and pinning her larger opponent._

_The elf laughed giddily, as she reached down and wiped the dirty from around Artemis' lips, before capturing them with her own. For a long moment they lay there, panting with dirty arms wrapped around to pull each other close._

" _Now," Artemis indicated he meant to get up. "I believe a shower is in order." His hands strayed along her legs. "I think I'll need some help getting everywhere!"_

" _Sounds tempting," Holly shifted on top of him, straddling his stomach to keep him pinned in place. "But why waste a wonderful evening in doors?"_

_Artemis grinned at her. "There are some things you can't do outside."_

_In response, Holly kicked off one shoe, then another. As the mudboy watched in fascination her pants and underclothes were removed next; with some exaggerated slowness as she revealed one long slender leg at a time._

" _You've studied The Book haven't you," Holly said as she stretched her bare legs over his waist. "Don't tell me you neglected to care for the island's genius loci? It's not like you to leave details up to chance."_

_He knew exactly what she was talking about. The concept of a physical location having a spirit, or atmosphere to it, was one found in both ancient human and fairy cultures. Many rituals were associated with refining the feeling of a place for the better, and fairies seemed to still follow them more closely than humans. The one applicable here was a ritual in which fairies consummate their love directly on a newly acquired piece of land, to ensure a fruitful future._

" _It is not exactly a common custom among humans anymore," Artemis countered, even as his hands strayed up and down her bare thighs, her skin warming his against the cool wind. "And I suspect you are only concerned with the prospect of open air copulation!"_

_The elf didn't deny it; such was the fairy love for nature that fetishizing it was commonplace. Public periodicals estimated that almost a third of all surface trips for partnered fairies ages seventy five to four hundred and fifty were "conjugal topsides," as they were known. Some privately operated fairy forts went out of their way to cater to them._

_Holly shuffled forward and leaned down to kiss Artemis deeply. The mudman had little real resolve to resist, and the warmth of her lips melted that way. His hands found their way up to the sculpted peak of her ass, pushing her closer to him. His hunger had already manifested in an aching hardness at his middle._

_In the past, the infrequency with which Holly could visit him had been little more than an inconvenience. Now, the days and weeks between her visits could be almost unbearable, if he allowed himself to dwell on them._

_Breathlessly they finally parted, and Holly rose to sit back up against his stomach. Artemis needed no prompting as to what to do next._

_With confidence born of practice, he slipped his arms under her legs, and pulled her closer to him. Eager to please, but also to get to his own pleasure, he wasted no time in pressing his lips to her core, using her wetness to his advantage. The elf, already panting, could stop the cry of pleasure that escaped her lips at the attention._

_Her thighs tightened around the mudman's face, as he went as deep as he could. Artemis took careful cues from her reaction, pressing home in all the places she liked most. He rather enjoyed the act of it also; submerging himself in her scent, her taste._

_Holly's hands found their way to his head, and her fingers dug into his raven hair as he stoked the fire in her core. Her hips moved on their own accord, grinding softly against his face to get the most friction possible. "ARTY," she managed to get out in between breaths. "ARRRRTY!"_

_His name, said like that by her voice, was as intoxicating as anything else. His lower half shifted absentmindedly, hungry for the small amount of friction his erection could enjoy straining against his trousers. His hands played up and down her bare legs, and his tongue reached deeper and deeper into her core, as she thrust against him._

_When the moment finally came, she nearly pulled his hair out._

_As the rock of her hips weakened, Artemis finally emerged for a ragged breath. The elf stumbled backward, falling from her seat and leaning against his hip as she slowly came down from her pleasure. The sight was more beautiful to Artemis than a renaissance masterpiece; captain Holly Short, practically glowing, eyes glazed with pleasure and breasts heaving with every breath. And it was all his doing._

" _Well," the human's grin oozed self-satisfaction. "I believe we have set the right atmosphere for the island."_

_With a smirk, Holly reached up and gripped his large erection through his trousers. "Not quite yet mudboy."_

_She climbed her way back up to straddle him, and a hiss escaped him when she sat down right on his hardness. Holly indulged in a few moments of grinding their hips together, before peeling off her shirt without prompting, and the bra beneath. If the whole point of sex on the surface was to be exposed to nature, then you might as well be totally exposed._

_Sitting up, Artemis pulled her to him and kissed her hard. Her hips kept grinding; as he nipped at the edge of her lips, then her cheek, then on to her neck, and farther down. She was moaning softly by the time he reached her breasts. Her nipples were hard as he ran his fingers over them, and she moaned louder when he replaced them with his mouth._

_The wait was becoming unbearable, and he scooted her back down to his middle as he lay back on the ground. She needed no further instruction, her hands going right to his pants button, and in a moment his hardness sprang free. Artemis let out a sigh of relief, and enjoyed the subtle jiggles of her breasts as she got a firm perch on his waist, and positioned him toward her entrance. He waited for her to take her own time, as she carefully lowered herself down onto his cock._

_Now it was his turn to be swarmed with pleasure, hands clutching the mud as he resisted the urge to thrust forcefully into her. Propping herself back up, and then down further, she slowly took his length in bit by bit. For the human held by her vice-like grip, and the elf being filled by his size; the friction was torturously wonderful._

_Finally making it most of the way, Holly set to work, pushing in earnest as she rode his human-sized cock. He thrust back just as hard, his hands gripping the back of her knees to help her stay in place._

_Holly threw back her head with a moan; feeling the warm, clean, real air of the surface blow over every exposed inch of her. Artemis was truly soiling his clothes with his own exertions, but at the moment could not have been more indifferent._

_Holly rested one palm on his stomach, keeping herself propped up as her other hand fondled her breasts. The strength of her arms drained as she got closer and closer to the edge again, and soon she was lying flat against his chest, her breasts pressing against his dirty shirt. His hands cupped her ass cheeks, squeezing them possessively to keep her in place. The end came quicker this time, and more sudden as a hot wave of pleasure broke over her. "AAARRRRTTYYYY!"_

_Her walls clenched impossibly tighter around him, and her grinding quit entirely as she just let herself be carried along. This new sensation was the last straw for him as well, and with a particularly forceful thrust he came deep inside her._

_The wind blew over them, tickling every exposed inch of skin as they drew what friction they could from a few more moments of thrusting, and slowly fell still. She slid off of him, cuddling up close to stay warm, and the two friends lay together on the wet, boggy ground, as the afterglow lingered in them._

" _Now," Artemis gingerly tugged at the soiled jumper clinging to him. "About that shower!"_

**Holly strikes me as the kind of person who hates going to the doctor. Next chapter is going to have the ball drop. Please review, and tell me what you thought.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I have a New Years resolution to write a little each day; and so far I've been keeping it. Hopefully more updates soon!**

Holly took a deep breath, trying to maintain her calm as she endured the doctor warlock's office. In truth, there was nothing particularly unpleasant about it; it was one of the higher end medical facilities in Haven (courtesy of Foaly), with a staff that actually made an effort for good bedside manner. The halls were clean and well lit, painted over with murals whose colors were not too offensive to the eye. The personnel were friendly and efficient; from the smiling pixie at the desk, to the plump little she-gnome assigned as her physician. All in all, Holly was coming up short on things to find fault with. It was infuriating.

"More than a month," The doctor-warlock tuttered just a bit, as she ran her hands along Holly's side. A trail of sparks were left wherever her fingers went, tiny bits of magic heating her skin, and making her a little more at ease. Most fairy's had the magic of healing at their fingertips, but a truly skilled warlock could develop that power to a modern science. Wisps of magic went through Holly like a bat's echolocation, sending back subtle reports that only the finely tuned senses of the doctor could understand. Holly had to raise her shirt up, and the warlock ran her fingers down her back and across her stomach; her sure and patient movements and comforting tone putting the elf at ease enough to open up.

"It's like a motion sickness," she confessed. "I've never had this kind of problem before, I've been an ace flyer since the academy!"

"Does it only happen while you're flying around?" The matronly gnome's tone was gentle, but still pointed.

"No," Holly confessed. "It happens sometimes after a long day, or a particularly hectic one. Sometimes it's just there first thing in the morning!"

"A common symptom," the doctor continued her tracing over Holly's middle. "Do you ever have trouble keeping food down?"

"Sometimes, mostly with strong foods, including some I normally like." Holly sighed slightly, as the magic relieved a particularly persistent cramp in her middle. "I've been forced to try some weird foods I normally wouldn't, but they actually stay down!"

"Mmh," there was something suspicious in the doctor's tone, and she studied Holly's face, as if trying to spot a lie. She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to hesitate. "Well, don't you worry my dear, we'll get to the truth before the day is over, and get you healthy and flying again in no time. These things tend to fix up easily, when they actually _get_ some treatment." There was a gentle motherly reproach in the she-gnomes tone.

She stepped away and began rummaging through her drawers, talking as she did. "I think I can spot the root of your problem, but I'd just like to run a few tests first." She produced a very small jar, and a slightly larger one. "I just need a bit of saliva, and if you don't mind, a urine sample."

That ordeal served to restore a bit of Holly's foul mood; but she couldn't bring herself to vent at the attentive doctor, and so was left to her internal fuming as the gnome went off to scrutinize her "material." The elf sat patiently on the raised examination couch, absentmindedly drumming her fingers along with the faint nature sounds playing as background noise. More appealing to Holly then the modern radio most doctors offices would have. She swung her legs slightly as she waited, the height of her feet off the ground bringing back nostalgic memories of a certain human residence.

The doctor returned, a small touchscreen in her hand. There was an odd hustle to her step, her smile wider than before. She almost appeared to have found a giddy eagerness, as she settled back into her chair, making a visible effort to collect herself back to something resembling clinical professionalism.

"Did you, um, get a result," Holly eyed the warlock wearily.

The doctor actually bit her lip to keep from chuckling. "Yes, _ahem_ , yes, we did. I am pleased to tell you it is no serious threat to your health. However, _ahem_ , it is a, eh, _complicated_ situation."

Holly felt her ears twitch with trepidation at this whole turn of events. That good old elven intuition she'd learned to trust so much. She had occasionally wondered if her seat-of-the-pants adventures over the years, and the great trauma to her mind and body, could possibly lead to some long term consequences. The last thing she needed was to find out she'd contracted some kind of _time disease_ , the curing of which would probably require _another_ near interspecies crisis.

"Ma-am," Holly interrupted. "I would very much appreciate it, if you would get to the point."

"Aah," the gnome still hesitated, even as she fought down a smile. "Well, the point of it is, there will soon be a _little_ elf in the co-pilot seat." She began losing a battle with quiet giggles.

"Urr," Holly threw her head back with irritation. "In _gnomish_ please, in Frond's gnomish!"

"Miss Short," the doctor practically beamed. "You're pregnant."

Holly was still for a moment, mouth slightly open, unable to process what the gnome had said, and then connect the dots to what she meant. "Eh?"

"I felt the traces of it inside you earlier," the doctor spoke eagerly. "The center of flesh and magic concentrating in your womb. The tests confirmed it, and it appears you are already many months along to be . . ."

Holly's thoughts began to drown out the gnome, as she turned the words over and over in her head. The consequence of them hadn't really hit her yet, she was still working through the _unreality_ of it! Pregnant. SHE was pregnant. It wasn't possible. She was only ninety-eight for gods' sake. And she hadn't had sex in almost a years. The most recent times hadn't even been with a fairy, they'd been with-

Holly felt her insides turn to water, and spill down to pool in her shoes.

The doctor had stopped talking, recognizing she'd lost her patient. She reached out one hand to rest it on the elf's, grabbing her attention. "Miss Short," she smiled good naturedly. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I know your head is probably filling with so many concerns you don't even know which to worry about first. I want you to know that I've helped women in your same situation many times, and if you need to take a moment to-

" **D'ARVIT!"**

* * *

_Artemis opened his eyes, as a soft hum sounded on the nightstand by his bed. He had just dawned his armani pajamas and lain down between his egyptian cotton sheets; and had been in the middle of composing a monotonous symphony to help himself fall asleep. Hoping the caller was who he predicted, he plucked the earpiece phone off of the nightstand and answered with a simple "Fowl."_

" _Evening mudboy," Holly's voice was tired, but hearing it was still the highlight of his night. "How are things looking up in the old country?"_

" _Father and I secured a deal with Glasgow Electric, so production of the geothermal rods can soon begin," Artemis described this potentially revolutionary breakthrough in sustainable energy as if it were the daily weather. "Are you about to start your shift?"_

" _I just finished, actually; I'm back on a daylight rotation for awhile," Holly yawned, stretching out on her own child sized bed._

" _Ah," Artemis allowed himself to get his hopes up. "Will that give you the chance for some more downtime in the near future?"_

" _You know the higher I get in rank the harder it becomes to get some time off," Holly said ruefully. "Command already wants me to plan my existence around weekly department meetings, I don't think they'll approve of leave for a booty call!"_

" _Come now Holly," Artemis feigned umbridge. "I only have your best interest at heart. If you keep working yourself to death, by the time you're one hundred and twenty you'll look two hundred and fifty!"_

_Holly smiled, but also rubbed a palm on her forehead. "I'm sorry Arty, but I don't think I'll be able to drop by any time in the next few weeks. My new recruits need a lot of breaking in on the job. And we have a backlog of problems after the cheese festival disaster!"_

" _Perhaps I might be able to lighten your caseload with a little consultation," Artemis suggested optimistically. "Surely there's a problem that merits it?"_

_It was fairly rare for the mudman to get permission to visit Haven, almost exclusively when he did "consultation work" for the LEP, and even this gave few opportunities for moments of privacy. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd been able to visit Holly's small apartment. He infinitely preferred Fowl Manor (in his one overnight stay he'd been reduced to sleeping on the floor by her elven sized furniture, a situation only made tolerable when she decided to join him) put at this point he would take anything._

" _I don't know, do you think you could help us with a nefarious brie smuggler?"_

_That was a case so beneath the human's mental capabilities he didn't even dignify it with comment. "I suppose the sound of your voice will have to be enough for me for the moment," Artemis said piteously._

"" _My voice, and your own hands," he could hear her smirk._

" _Yes," even though she couldn't see him, he self consciously moved a hand that had crept toward his midsection. "You could put it that way."_

" _My own hands are all I've got too," Holly admitted. "Though I'd much rather it was yours."_

_Artemis shifted where he lay, his body starting to react to this line of discussion. "Quite so."_

" _Those big, human hands," she continued. "You'd think fingers that size would be clumsy; but you can be as skilled as a trained sculpture when you want to be!"_

_The mudman was blushing. "You're rather skilled yourself, I don't have to tell you."_

" _Would you though?"_

" _What," Artemis was taken aback?_

" _Tell me what you would do," Holly insisted. "If I were up there tonight!"_

_The human sat up straighter, unsure how to proceed. He was familiar with the concept of audio sex of course, but had never considered it a stimulation worth pursuing. His biological functions were finding it to be much more thrilling however._

" _Well," Artemis began uncertainly. "It would start with kissing I suppose, then move to the bed."_

" _You make it sound like it would be over pretty quick."_

_Artemis turned a shade redder as he went on. "I'd like to start with you on my lap," he said. "You fit so perfectly there. When I put my lips to yours, and you squirm around, the friction is simply glorious."_

" _AH," Holly was pleasantly surprised. "Now that does sound rather lovely. But it's not the easiest position to stay in when you get all big and hard. Gentle thrusts for a human are a bit more forceful for someone of my size." She was making plenty of friction of her own; one smooth thigh rubbing hot against the other._

_The tent in Artemis' sheets had become his main focus, and he shifted a little as he pulled down his pajama pants. "You're the best schute jumper in the LEP, surely you can ride a scrawny human."_

" _It's my experience that even small human's can pack a load of trouble," her hand had also drifted distinctly southward._

" _We could take it slow, and gentle. Whatever my lady-"_

" _N-no," the elf stuttered as she opened herself with her own fingers. "Faster is b-better!"_

_She could hear his smirk. "Do you need a moment Holly, you sound a little distracted?_

" _And I suppose your pajama bottoms_ aren't _around your knees by now!"_

" _Artemis paused, stopping in the act of stroking his erection. "Am I to believe yours lasted any longer?"_

" _I don't bother with pajamas anymore," Holly answered._

_The young man could feel himself pulsing in his own grasp at her words. His analytical mind could recall every inch of her naked flesh; ever swell and grove of her shape. How he longed to feel that skin under his hands._

" _Don't go quiet on me yet mudboy," Holly said hotly. "I want to hear-"_

" _I think we've been talking for long enough," Artemis interrupted, as he picked up the pace to his stroking. "I think there are better uses for your mouth at this point._

_Holly almost dropped the phone from the impulse to contain her giggles with her hand. The other one was already preoccupied. "So forceful," she said between breaths. "It really_ has _been a while for you. But yes, I'd be more than happy to take care of it!"_

_The memory of her lips had haunted his dreams when he was younger. It still did, but for a much different reason now. "I'd be too much for most fairies," that Fowl boldness was coming to the surface. "But you, your big mouth could take me in easily. You've had enough practice."_

_Holly's phone was on speaker; both her hands were now working away. She could remember perfectly to; the musky, human scent of him. The stretch of her lips around his big shaft. Gods above whan had the mudboy she'd known been replaced by this mudman!_

" _But you're right about how long it has been," he'd lost control of himself by now. "Finishing in your mouth wouldn't satisfy me. No, I need you underneath me. I want to hear you moan my name, and see your breasts heave as I take you!" His arm moved up and down like a piston, desperately stroking his length as fast as he could._

" _Y-YES," Holly was rigglin in her sheets, one hand fondling her breasts as the other worked as deep into her core as she could get. "Take me Arty. I want your big, hard human cock inside me. AHH you stretch me so much!"_

_Artemis had the presence of mind to fling away his blankets; there was no time to save his pajama shirt. As he gripped himself as tightly as he could a string of white seed erupted from his member and onto his chest. Another, bigger stream followed it; and a third strand barely leaked out as his hand finally slowed._

" _Did you finish?" Holly eagerly asked even as she was fiercely biting her lip from pleasure. "Did you shoot off inside me?"_

_Lying in a daze of heat and pleasure, Artemis fumbled for the phone. "Um, yes," he stammered out awkwardly, his bravado draining. "I, eh, I came_ deep _inside of you."_

_A drawn out "AAAAHHHHHH," announced that Holly had reached her own climax._

_The human simply lay there, imagining the naked elf lying on top of him, close enough that he could feel her heart beating through her warm skin._

_The elf lay basking in her own afterglow, imagining those human arms wrapped around her. "Th-at, that just might hold me over till my next leave!"_

_Artemis' hand twisted at the sheets, pretending it was the strands of auburn hair he would sometimes fiddle with after they finished. "It can't come soon enough."_

" _We'll have to do this again soon," Holly suggested. "Same time the night after next?"_

_The young man perked up at the idea. "That would certainly be agreeable."_

" _With video though," She gently fondled her breast. "I want to see the great Artemis Fowl pleasuring himself like a hormonal youth."_

_Artemis fidgeted, suddenly self conscious about his current appearance. He felt a little ridiculous, lying there uncovered, with his armani shirt soiled by his own fluids and his lower half totally naked. "We can talk then."_

" _Good night Artemis," Holly indulged in a loud kiss sound over the phone. "And sleep tight mudboy."_

_The young man was already starting to feel tiredness overtake him, even as he fastidious removed his soiled shirt, careful not to stain the covers with his spilled essence._

" _Good Night, Holly. We'll talk again soon."_

**Finally getting to the real drama in the present, hope things are staying interesting. Please REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

Holly lay back on the examination table, sighing as she felt suddenly very tired, after her three minute unprintable tirade. She closed her eyes, then opened them again, hoping this was a dream she might wake up from. 

The doctor was there suddenly, wheeling her chair over to offer a glass of water. Holly was surprised that the matronly gnome did not appear even the least bit phased by her very colorful outburst, and took the glass with a nod of thanks. Her throat was suddenly very dry. The doctor waited patiently for her to finish it. “Feeling better?”

Holly nodded rather dumbly. “Yah, um, a little.” With another sigh she ran both hands over her face. “Sorry about, um, about all . . .  _ that.” _

“Oh, it’s quite alright dear,” the gnome patted her shoulder. “You’re hardly the first, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.” Her smile turned up a little more. “Usually not so many  _ verbs _ though.”

Holly smiled as best she could, and took another sip of water. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she was suddenly more aware of the uneasiness in her stomach. 

“Before we settle anything else,” the warlock said. “We’ll have to get more of a handle on the situation. I’d like to schedule you for a bioscan session. Based on my analysis the baby seemed perfectly healthy; but it’s a limited scope and you can never be too careful about these things.”

“Yah, that’s probably a good idea,” Holly was still acting on autopilot.

“I suppose you have some questions now,” the gnome said. “I might be able to answer them if you’d like?”

“The thing is,” Holly fidgeted a little. “It’s been almost a year since, um, conception would have been possible. Shouldn’t I have shown the signs months ago?”

“Hm,” The doctor tapped her screen absently, trying to be sensitive. “If you don’t mind my asking, Miss Short, is the father an elf?”

“No,” Holly thought she might flee the building in shame, if the warlock guessed who it really was. “Not an elf!”

“Well, that goes a long way to explain it then,” the doctor nodded. “Hybrid pregnancies are more complicated. Magic is the key to it, allowing normally incompatible genetics to merge. That takes time though, and the embryonic stage of a hybrid child is very prolonged, as the magic works at a genetic level to fuse millions of strands of DNA together. Hybrid pregnancies can take months to show significant symptoms.”

_ Damn it mudboy, _ Holly fumed internally.  _ The ONE time you don’t do your research!  _ Of course all the blame for this could be unbiasedly placed on Artemis; no one else.

“How long will it actually take then,” Holly asked as the thought struck her. “How long before . . . the birth.”

The warlock tapped her chin thoughtfully. “It’s impossible to say with any certainty at this point. I’d give it anywhere from nine to fifteen months.”

Holly buried her head in her hands and groaned. Fifteen more months of this! Still, that might give Artemis time to get back-

Her thoughts froze in their tracks.  _ Would _ Artemis come back?

“So we’ll need to start with a full ultrasonic scan, and a ritual purification shortly after,” the gnome dictated. “I can probably find you a specialist who can do both, though they might have more of a wait . . .”

As she went on, Holly nodded on reflex, but was actually hearing very little. Her slim fingers gripped the edge of the examination table until her knuckles were white, as she breathed evenly and fought to keep her anxieties down. 

She was pregnant. She was pregnant with a hybrid child. She was pregnant, and the child’s father was twenty one and three quarters million miles away, hurtling toward another planet. She was pregnant, and ARTEMIS was the father.

There was no doubt that Artemis would return as soon as he learned. None at all. The mudboy had stuck with her through revolutions and time travel; he wouldn’t be scared away by this. It wasn’t as if he was just like half the young men who’d ever impregnated a temporary flame. It wasn’t as if he’d just hide up there on the surface and refuse to see his child. It wasn’t as if he’d just keep the rocket on course, and put half a solar system between them.

Artemis would come back!

And when he got back, as he certainly would, then they’d . . . Gods  _ Above _ what  _ would _ they do! They would raise the child that’s what. It was the only option. Never mind that neither of them knew the first thing about children. Never mind that she pulled long hours with the LEP and he had to help run his family's business. Never mind that they were both too young. Never mind that they were different species.

They would have to raise the child in Haven; the council would never approve them living on the surface. Would they even be willing to tolerate the  _ Human _ becoming a permanent resident of the Lower Elements when he came back?

Because, of course, he  _ was _ coming back,

“And I’ll get back to you when I can schedule the appointments,” the doctor warlock scrolled through the hospital listings. “And I was just wondering, it’s not a requirement by any means, but it may make things easier, do you plan to bring the father in to help you?”

The LEP officer’s voice was very small. “I’ll have to get back to you about that.”

* * *

_ Angeline swung open the door to her eldest son's room. “Oh Arty, before I go I’d-,” she stopped short when she saw the room was empty. “I could have sworn those two were in here?” _

_ In his large closet, Artemis turned pale(r) as he heard his mother’s voice. Already trying not to moan, he clapped a hand on his mouth to stop from crying out, in either pleasure or alarm. Holly didn’t need help in that regard, she couldn’t have gotten a word out even if she’d wanted to.  _

_ The elf froze in the middle of her bobbing motion, her warm lips stretched around the girth of the human’s hard member, as she gripped its base with one hand. For a long moment they were frozen in place; making a very damning tableau, until the door outside quietly swung shut.  _

_ In an instant the elf released him and stepped back, taking in a large breath. “I thought she’d left!” she whispered fiercely, running a hand through her uncharacteristic strands of loose hair to try and brush it up. _

_ “The lab,” Artemis’ suddenly clumsy fingers worked frantically to maneuver his still straining erection back into his pants. “That’s where she’ll check next!” _

_ As quietly as they could, the two fugitive lovers fled out of the room and down the hall. Making sure to take a different route, they managed to reach Artemis’ lab with just a few seconds to spare. _

_ “Oh, mother,” Artemis turned from the holographic display of his newest project that he was pretending to show the elf. “We thought you had left for Dublin already,” he tried to not make that sound like an accusation. _

_ “I’d just had another thought I wanted to talk to you two about,” Angeline replied. “If your father’s meeting in London falls on the right day, and we have just you, me, and Butler at the house, then we should invite some of our fairy friends up to visit next weekend, as an early celebration of your birthday.” _

_ “That’s certainly doable,” the two of them tried to act as casual as possible. “You should be able to get the clearance, shouldn’t you Holly?” With hands in his pockets Artemis resisted the urge to fidget, hoping his mother wouldn’t notice his still semi-aroused state.  _

_ “It shouldn’t be a problem, and I can get Mulch cleared too,” the elf was too unsure to look directly at the mudwoman, but was also trying not to show it.  _

_ “And bring Mr. Foaly with you, I insist he finally come and see the new house,” Angeline wasn’t going to tolerate further excuses. “And I’d love to finally meet his wife in person.” _

_ “We can see about that,” Holly promised, her anxiousness subsiding. “Him and Arty can use the time to work on achieving warpspeed, or whatever this newest hairbrained scheme is,” she motioned to the holographic display of a prototype spaceship. _

_ “Not warpspeed,” Artemis corrected lightly. “My new engine model will neither achieve the speed of light, nor pull distant space closer. It merely generates self propelled and perpetually sustainable hydraulic thrust.” _

_ “Oh, pardon me for misunderstanding,” Holly rolled her eyes. _

_ “And in the meantime we’ll still plan to have your proper birthday in Dublin,” his mother dragged them back onto topic. “I’m going to reserve the Church for that night, the whole building,” Angeline referred to one of the city's better known restaurants, situated in a converted house of worship. _

_ “Oh mother, there’ll be no need for that large of a group, surely,” Artemis insisted. _

_ “Come now Artemis, you only turn  _ twenty four _ once!” The young man would actually be turning twenty one, but due to his interlude through limbo, he was legally three years older. _

_ “I was just thinking that since you’re doing all of this networking with people, now that you’re taking over more of the public side of the family business, maybe you’d finally learn to enjoy some casual interaction.” _

_ “I still don’t know where you’d find that many people,” her son pleaded. _

_ “Well most of the senior board of Fowl Enterprises, and their families. Your co-workers in the R&D department, the Young Entrepreneurs of Ireland, the Royal Saltee Island Science Commission, th-” _

_ “Fine, fine,” Holly smirked at the growing dread on the young man’s face. “If you make the arrangements I will be happy to . . . socialize.” _

_ “Wonderful,” his mother reached up to straighten his already perfectly straight lapel. “Who was that young woman you were talking to at the last Young Entrepreneurs conference? You seemed to be having quite an animated conversation.” _

_ “Fiona? Yes, her viewpoint on holistic conservation is remarkably well reasoned; unfortunately she’s still overlooking the long term need for economic incentivization befo-” _

_ “Yes yes, you can discuss the college lectures with her later,” his mother stopped him. “I was just curious.” _

_ Artemis fidgeted, very aware of the elf at his side. “Really mother, these nudges aren’t necessary.” _

_ “I rather think they are,” Angeline countered. “Sometimes I think you’ll still be telling me that ‘girls can wait’ when we’re celebrating your Fortieth birthday.” She turned to Holly. “I mean really, name another young man who has been on more trips through time than he has dates!” _

_ Luckily for Artemis, the elf seemed to find this more amusing than anything else. “Oh I would definitely apply the prod on this one,” she said with a smirk, flicking a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Otherwise you might have to settle for grandchildren that were grown in a lab.” _

_ “Oh, I’m not expecting anyone to be planning that far ahead,” the older woman assured them. “I’m just asking you to make a bit more of an effort Arty; if you try a little intimacy in your life, you just might enjoy it.” _

_ Artemis felt heat rising on his face, and prayed it wasn’t noticeable. If only his mother knew just how much ‘intimacy’ he was currently enjoying. Next to him, Holly bit her lip to keep down a smirk. _

_ “I’m surprised you haven’t given up on getting Arty interested in girls,” she couldn’t help joking. “I’m not sure he likes female company all that much.” _

_ “Good things come to those who wait,” Angelin’s lip turned up wryly. “I did try boys for a while, but that was an even bigger disappointment. _

_ Holly clapped a hand over her mouth, to keep from howling with laughter. _

_ “That’s quite enough moth-mom,” The human gave his fairy lover a deathly glare; she stuck out her tongue in response. “I shall endeavor to keep an eye out for an appealing connection in the future. Enjoy your time in Dublin.” _

_ “Have a nice day you two. And by the way Holly,” Angeline reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind one pointed ear. “I love the way you’re wearing your hair these days. I know you like the ‘macho’ crewcut, and you look lovely with that too, but there is something distinctly more ‘elven’ about wearing it longer.” _

_ “Thank you Angeline,” Holly smiled at her. “Maybe I’m getting old, but I have started to like my hair like this.” Mostly, because it gave Artemis more to grab! _

_ As Angeline left, the two clandestine lovers took a moment to sit down on the lab’s workbench. “I had hoped my mother would desist in her misplaced efforts to find me romantic bliss,” Artemis rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. “But she’s really quite relentless.” _

_ “You know, it might almost be better if you pretend to be a little interested in some mudgirl or other,” Holly suggested. “She’d probably like that.” _

_ “In this case, a lie might be too dangerous,” the human muttered quietly. “The truth would almost be preferable.” _

_ The elf looked at him with a little alarm. “You’re not being serious, are you?” _

_ “It’s just that,” the young man looked down at his feet. “There are times when I think we should tell her, my mother.” _

_ Holly raised an eyebrow. “I’d expect you to be listing off all the reasons why we shouldn’t!” _

_ “Oh, they are numerous and undeniable,’ he sighed. “Still, it pains me to keep her in the dark. And,” he admitted. “There are times when I wonder what it would be like to engage in the more public aspects of a romantic affair.” _

_ “You’re not wanting to go on dates are you,” Holly smiled, nestling against him. “Planning to take me out to the nice restaurants in Dublin, the gorge on human sized meals of butchered animals?” _

_ “I was also thinking about the banks,” Artemis joked. “Most have very predictable gaps in security, but the execution would be just challenging enough to make for a pleasant evening.” _

_ The elf chuckled, elbowing him good naturedly. “I know lovers should support each other; but if it comes to actual felony, I’m bringing you in!” _

_ “But officer,” he pulled her closer, practically into his lap. “Surely we can make some other ‘arrangement.” _

_ The elf pressed her smiling lips against his, rocking her hips against the hardness forming at his middle. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today human,” she slid off of his lap, and reached to undo his trousers. “And when i start something, I always finish it!” _

**Since Colfer never went into detail about the process of hybrid births, I’m making up an explanation that also explains why this pregnancy is taking so long.**

**Meanwhile, in the past, we’re seeing the first signs of trouble on the horizon. To be clear; I’m not planning to bring some OC in to manufacture trouble (I’m really sick of that cliche). Rather, now that the sexy honeymoon phase is over, Artemis and Holly are going to be confronted with the many limitations placed on their relationship; and how little of a future it seems to have.**

**I also threw in a reference to another Colfer book in here; as well as a meta joke about Holly’s hairdo, which 95% of the fandom AND the movie and graphic novels refuses to portray accurately!**

**And just so you know, the updates might get even slower. I had already half-written most of the chapters by the time I published the first one, and this is the last of those.**


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